The present invention is directed to a system for organizing specific areas, for example, closets, workshops and the like. Taking a closet as an example, it is common for closets to be only provided with a hanging rod and one or two shelves above the rod. This setup results in an abundance of wasted space. By carefully planning this space, the entire closet area can be organized to provide a system which maximizes the area efficiency through the addition of and the reorganization of shelves, drawers, cabinets and hanging rods. The majority of these features are designed to be adjustable for periodic reorganization, depending upon the needs of the user.
Various devices and methods have been developed for mounting shelves, cabinets and the like on a wall. Reference is made to the following patents which disclose examples of these systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,832 to Lee et al. discloses a storage unit mounting system, which includes a horizontal support rail and a hanging bracket designed to be attached to a vertical panel on the storage unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,436 to Kelley discloses a similar locking engagement system for a storage unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,761 to Jamar. Jr. is directed to a similar-type bracket structure. U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,003 to Manchester discloses a system for supporting storage units, which includes an L-shaped support rail having dual L-shaped channels and designed to fit with a cooperating hanging bracket.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,833 to Huizenga is directed to a storage organizer system and a means for installing the same. The system described in Huizenga includes a horizontal mounting rail mounted on a wall and having a projection extending away from the wall. The shelf system includes a plurality of vertical panels, each having a cut-out portion, such that the panel is designed to be moved perpendicular to the wall and dropped down and over the projection to mount the panel to the horizontal railing.
The prior art wall-unit mounting systems suffer from some disadvantages. Some of the systems do not have a strong enough retaining mechanism to withstand the force of gravity. Therefore, there is a high risk of failure, i.e., the possibility that the wall hanging system will fall from the mounting rail. A further disadvantage is that the present systems cannot be constructed to mount to the wall in such a way that the vertical panels are flush with the ceiling.